he Western
Australian Government offering to lead a party thither and ascertain if
there was any truth in the report. The Government favourably considered
the offer, and made preparations to send out a party. Von Mueller was
prevented from taking charge, and the command was given to John Forrest,
then a surveyor in the Government service. Forrest was born near Bunbury,
Western Australia, on the 22nd of August, 1847, and entered the Survey
Department of West Australia in December 1865.

On the 26th of April, 1869, Forrest left Yarraging, then the furthest
station to the eastward. When camped at a native well, visited by Austin
thirteen years before, he says that he could still distinctly see the
tracks of that explorer's horses. Past this spot he fell in with some
natives who told him that a large party of men and horses had died in a
locality away to the north, and that a gun belonging to the party was in
possession of the natives. On closer examination this story was proved to
have its origin in the death of Austin's horses.

Forrest continued his journey to the east, and on the 18th came to a
large dry salt lake, which he named Lake Barlee. An attempt to cross this
lake resulted in the bogging of the horses, and it was only after
strenuous exertions that the horses and packs were once more brought on
to hard ground. Lake Barlee was afterwards found to be of considerable
size, extending for more than forty miles to the eastward.

The native guide Forrest had with him now began to express doubts as to
his knowledge of the exact spot at which he saw the remains. After
considerable search, Forrest came across a large party of the aborigines
of the district. These men, however, proved to be anything but friendly;
they threw dowaks at the guide, and advised the whites to go back before
they were killed. Next morning they had speech with two of them, who said
that the bones were those of horses, some distance to the north; they
said they would come to the camp the next day and lead the whites there,
but they did not fulfil their promise. No other profitable intercourse
with the blacks was possible. One old man howled piteously all the time
they were in his company, and another, who had two children with him,
gave them to understand most emphatically that he had never heard of any
horses having been killed, though some natives had just killed and eaten
his own brother.

After vainly searching the district for many days, Fo